One of the most common reasons students delay or give up on a study-abroad application is the IELTS requirement โ the cost, the retakes, and the months of preparation it can eat up. The good news is that a growing number of fully funded scholarships and universities no longer require IELTS at all, as long as you can prove your English ability another way. This guide covers exactly which alternatives are accepted, which scholarships and countries waive the test, and how to build a strong application without ever sitting the exam.
Why some scholarships don’t require IELTS
Many government-funded and university-specific scholarships care more about your academic record, motivation, and fit for the program than a single standardized test score. If you’ve completed your previous degree in English, or the scholarship includes a free preparatory language year before your program starts, requiring IELTS on top of that becomes redundant. Scholarship providers also know that IELTS fees and travel to a test center are a real barrier for many applicants, so waiving it widens their applicant pool.
Alternative 1: The Medium of Instruction (MOI) Certificate
An MOI certificate is a free letter from your previous university’s registrar office confirming that your degree was taught entirely in English. It should include your name, the exact study dates, your program name, an explicit statement that the medium of instruction was English, and the university’s official letterhead, signature, and seal. Most universities issue this within a few days of a written request, and it costs nothing to $30 depending on the institution. This is usually the fastest and cheapest way to skip IELTS if your previous education was in English-medium.
Alternative 2: The Duolingo English Test
The Duolingo English Test is now accepted by several thousand universities worldwide as a faster, cheaper alternative to IELTS โ it costs around $60, is taken entirely online, and results arrive within 48 hours. Score expectations vary by level: undergraduate programs typically ask for roughly 95โ120, master’s programs 100โ125, and highly competitive graduate programs 120 or higher. One important caveat: while many universities accept Duolingo for admission, some countries โ the UK in particular โ don’t currently accept it for student visa purposes, so always confirm both the university’s and the visa office’s policy before relying on it. For a full breakdown of how English tests compare, see our guide to choosing between IELTS and PTE.
Alternative 3: A free preparatory language year
Several government scholarships build a fully funded language year into the program itself, which removes the need for an English or local-language test at the point of application. Tรผrkiye Burslarฤฑ includes a free Turkish preparatory year, MEXT Japan’s bachelor’s track includes a funded Japanese year, the Czech Government Scholarship and Romania Government Scholarship both include a free local-language year, and the Russia Government Quota works the same way with Russian. You apply, get accepted, spend a year building language skills on the scholarship’s stipend, then start your actual degree.
Scholarships and countries known to waive IELTS
Stipendium Hungaricum in Hungary accepts an MOI letter in place of IELTS for many programs and pays a monthly stipend on top of full tuition coverage. Tรผrkiye Burslarฤฑ and MEXT Japan, as mentioned, fold English or local-language requirements into a funded prep year โ see our South Korea scholarships guide for how GKS handles the same approach with a Korean-language year. China’s CSC Scholarship offers a similar Chinese-language track for students who don’t yet meet the English or Chinese proficiency bar โ our complete guide to studying in China covers this in detail. Some Arabic-medium programs in Saudi Arabia, including at the Islamic University of Madinah, don’t require an English test at all since instruction is in Arabic, and a handful of universities in Canada, such as Guelph, accept a strong Duolingo score outright.
What to check before you rely on a waiver
Requirements change between intakes and vary by department even within the same university, so never assume a waiver applies to your specific program without checking the current year’s official page. Confirm three things directly with the university or scholarship provider: whether the waiver applies to your exact degree level and department, whether your destination country’s visa office accepts the same alternative you’re using for admission, and whether the MOI or Duolingo score you’re planning to submit meets that specific program’s threshold. Building your application around outdated information is one of the most common ways strong candidates get rejected โ our guide to common rejection reasons covers others worth avoiding.
Building a strong application without IELTS
Skipping IELTS doesn’t mean skipping preparation elsewhere. Reviewers weigh your Statement of Purpose, academic transcripts, and recommendation letters more heavily when there’s no test score to lean on, so these need to be strong on their own. Request your MOI certificate early since registrar offices can take time to process it, keep a Duolingo score on file even if your first-choice program doesn’t require it since it’s inexpensive insurance for backup applications, and apply to more than one scholarship track in case a waiver you’re counting on doesn’t apply the year you apply.
Not sure where you stand? Hum Scholars offers a free CV and profile assessment to help you find the right scholarships and next steps โ no pressure, no pricing, just clarity.